He seems happy and confident and on Thursday claimed that he only needed to cut four pounds before Friday morning’s weigh-in deadline in order to make the 156-pound limit for fighting in the lightweight division.

All things considered, it doesn’t feel like there’s much to worry about.

But this is Khabib Nurmagomedov we’re talking about, so until the bell rings on Saturday night and he’s actually inside the octagon fighting Edson Barboza in the UFC 219 co-main event, there’s always going to be something to worry about.

Nine months ago, after all, Nurmagomedov seemed great during fight week, but suddenly had to withdraw from his hotly-anticipated fight against Tony Ferguson because of complications with his weight cut.

The guy might be the best lightweight fighter on the planet, but he has fought only twice in the last four years and is more familiar with the surgeon’s table than the surgeons themselves.

So yes, it’s OK to worry about whether we’ll actually see him in the cage on Saturday night, no matter what he says.

“I’m already on weight, I have only a couple pounds (to cut),” Nurmagomedov said Thursday from the UFC 219 media day at the T-Mobile Arena. “We’re thinking about (fighting at 145 pounds in the future). We’ll see about this, but first of all I want to fight this fight, beat Edson Barboza, then I’m going to fight Tony Ferguson and after I’m thinking about going to 145.”

The idea that Nurmagomedov is seriously considering cutting more weight an fighting at featherweight is completely crazy, he’s clearly confident that he’ll be able to make weight at 155 pounds on Friday morning.

Usually, fighters struggling to make weight is a small part of any fight week. This week, though, Nurmagomedov’s weight-cut is arguably the single biggest story in Las Vegas.

If he makes weight and beats Barboza — no easy task, by the way — he’s going to get a title shot against interim champion Ferguson. Most people believe he’ll win, and will solidify himself as the best lightweight fighter in the world.

But he has to make weight. On Friday, that means stepping on to the scales at 156 pounds. If he fights Ferguson, though, the official weight allowance for a lightweight title fight is 155 pounds.

It might go a long way towards silencing the doubters if he weighs-in at 155 pounds this week just to prove that he can do it, but don’t expect that to happen.

“I’m going to make 156 pounds, why I need to make 155?,” Nurmagomedov asked. “One pound, it’s energy. It’s a high-level sport and you have to follow everything, 156 or 155 is a difference.

“I want to make 156 pounds and after, I want to see how I feel. Now, I have to cut only four pounds and tonight I’m going to have one bath, sleep, wake up, make weight.”

END OF THE LINE

One of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters retired on Thursday.

After 18 years of fighting professionally, Nate Marquardt announced on his website that he was walking away from the octagon to focus on other things.

It was a decision that many around the sport would argue was a long time in coming, but regardless, the 38-year-old leaves MMA with a resume that few in the fight game can rival.

While he lost his only UFC title fight to former middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 73, Marquardt won belts in both Strikeforce and the long-running Pancrase promotion in Japan, and with 23 middleweight fights in the UFC, he has the second most walks to the octagon in the division’s history.

“I have had many accomplishments and victories as well as many trials and upsets in my career,” Marquardt wrote in his statement. “I have won four world titles and I have subsequently lost three of them. I have had many winning and losing streaks. I have battled chronic injuries and had six surgeries. I have learned that I can trust God in every situation and need to put him first.

“After 22 years as an athlete in the sport of mixed martial arts, I believe God is calling me in another direction.”

Marquardt’s most recent fight was a loss to Cezar Ferreira earlier this month.”

NO STRIPPING

The UFC isn’t going to be stripping Conor McGregor of his lightweight title.

Yes, that’s obvious. McGregor is the company’s biggest star by a longshot, so taking away his gold belt probably isn’t the smartest idea.

But there are lots of convincing arguments for it happening — the guy hasn’t fought for 14 months, after all — but UFC president Dana White went on ESPN on Thursday and made it very clear that McGregor is keeping his belt.

“For people to suggest that, you’re just a Conor hater,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “If you look at how everything played out, Conor has fought everybody. When he won the 155-pound belt, he dropped the 145-pound belt, which we made him do. He tried not to do it, but he contractually had to let go of the 145-pound belt.

“He became the 155-pound champion, and his next fight was Floyd Mayweather. He has to defend the title now, so how has he never defended the title?”

The simple answer to White’s questions is that McGregor hasn’t defended the title because he literally has not defended the title, but whatever, the point is that McGregor isn’t going to get stripped of his lightweight championship belt anytime soon.

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